A New Version of Gilgamesh
by Cuofeng
Summary: I have freely modified the language, changed some minor events, and liberally added description and narrative. Do not think of this as a translation, because it is not, but rather think of it as just another story teller telling the same familiar story like so many before me.
1. Introduction

This version of the Epic of Gilgamesh is a work of fiction first and a representation of the historical text a far distant second. I have read several modern translations of several ancient versions of the story, and have tried to include as much from as many versions as I can. However, I have also freely modified the language, changed some minor events, and liberally added description and narrative. Do not think of this as a translation, because it is not, but rather think of it as just another story teller telling the same familiar story like so many before me.

Gilgamesh hails from the land that is now Iraq and was once called Mesopotamia, "The Land Between the Rivers". Here, in this fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is what people have referred to as the Cradle of Civilization. It was here, thousands of years ago, that villages and towns first became cities, that mankind first developer the technology of the written word. And it was here, around 2800 BCE, that a man named Gilgamesh ruled as king of the city of Uruk.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest piece of narrative literature we have discovered anywhere in the world. There are many older pieces of writing, but many of them are simply prayers to gods, dedications to kings, and bits of dry accounting. Gilgamesh is the oldest _story_. The most ancient fragmentary copies that have been found date back to around 2100 BCE. To the people of the ancient middle east and Mediterranean, it was once as well and widely known as the Old Testament. Even during the Roman empire the stories were still remembered, though garbled by time and distance.

However, eventually, the world forgot. That is, until a British archeologist working in the ruins of the Assyrian capital city of Ninivah found several clay tablets covered with the hatchmark cuneiform writing of ancient Mesopotamia and was astonished to recognize a story of a great flood which covered the world. In the early days of Western archeology, a lot of effort was focused on confirming the historicity of the christian bible. Thus, the discovery of this version of the flood myth dating to a thousand years before the oldest preserved hebrew writing, raced across the western public consciousness like electricity. Little attention was paid to the rest of the narrative at first, but eventually the flood myth was recognized as just the final section of the wondrous epic of Gilgamesh.

Many versions of the Gilgamesh story have been found in various stages of completion. Often only a few fragments are found at a time, but the most complete version comes from the ruins of the palace of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal from around 700 BCE. These tablets were a great work of literary reconstruction even in their day, as they were compiled at the order of the king to synthesize the many versions of this already ancient story. The Assyrian scribes had drawn together Old Babylonian versions of the epic, which were in turn compiled from even older Sumerian stories of the great hero that were widely known, but not compiled into a single narrative arc.

Time changes all things and we can only partially reconstruct what these stories might have originally been to the Sumerians who first told them. Even the names are different; a Sumerian would have known Gilgamesh as Bilgamesh. The gods Ishtar, Shamash, and Aruru were Innana, Utu, and Ninhurshag. The fearsome giant Humbaba was pronounced Humwawa. In this version I have known the later Assyrian names as a few of them, like Ishtar and Gilgamesh, are still somewhat familiar to modern audiences. Also, to be frank, the name Humwawa does not sound fearsome to an english ear.

The epic of Gilgamesh is also special because it seems that Gilgamesh was a real person, a historical king and not just a legendary invention. While there is no direct evidence produced during his life, historical artifacts have been found referring to mundane events of the life of a son of his, Ur-lugal, as well as artifacts attesting the the truth of other kings who appear as minor contemporary figures in the Gilgamesh stories. This is in addition to the famous Sumerian Kings list, which lists Gilgamesh as one of the early post-diluvian kings who ruled for somewhat more reasonable time frames than the more mythical figures said to rule before the flood.


	2. Gilgamesh the King

The Story of Gilgamesh

Over three millennia before our present day, fifteen hundred years before a carpenter began a religion, a thousand years before Rome rose on the Tiber river, five hundred years before the Greeks fought under the walls of Troy, the great city of Babylon was a crown jewel of the human race. It stood in what is now Iraq, along the banks of the mighty Euphrates river. Babylon's palaces, pyramids, and temples were wonders of the world and its empire stretched from sea to sea. This was the bronze age, use of iron was just beginning to be discovered, chariots were recent technology, and the known world was confined between distant rumors of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

In one of the grandest palaces of Babylon, a scribe sat down beside a garden to write out words on a clay tablet in cuneiform, words formed from hatch marks. Once he was done, the tablet would be baked in an oven, turning it into pottery and therefore permanent. Before the secret of paper had spread from egypt, this was how things were recorded. However the words he wrote down were already ancient.

They told of how one man went further than any others and brought back secrets for humanity to remember. It was a myth, but it was also history. In this story's eyes, Great Babylon was still a fresh young city, newly founded. This story had first been written down when the city of Summer rose as a great power, marking the dawn of huge cities, of kingdoms and empires. To the scribes of Babylon, the Sumerians were the wise and ancient civilization who came before, as much later the Romans built on the foundations of ancient Greeks.

The epic story this scribe wrote down was one of gods and monsters, but also real men and women who once walked the earth. The kingdom of its hero still stood, that city called Uruk, that name which later gave us the word Iraq. When the legend spoke of building an immense city wall, that wall was still standing strong hundred and fifty miles away from Babylon, a mass of sun hardened brick and packed earth, capped with long-greened copper. Anyone could touch them and feel their strength. When it spoke of the great temple district Eanna, dedicated to the goddess of war and beauty Ishtar and the creator god Anu, the stepped pyramid called a ziggurat still stood in the center of that city as marvel of engineering and construction. The widows of slain soldiers still wept against its walls. And it was said that somewhere deep within those halls was the original story as a singular thing, carved in a slab of precious lapis lazuli by the long dead king himself. The proof of the great heroes was visible to every living eye that visited that city.

So the ancient Babylonian scribe began:

"A thousand years ago, Gilgamesh was King in Uruk."

Gilgamesh and Enkidu

Gilgamesh was a man like no other. His body was more beautiful than anyone else alive and stronger than the wildest bull. In his mind was the courage to challenge the god of storms and a genius that knew no limit. In an age soon after the great flood, just a few generations after the first seven cities of the world were founded by seven great sages, Gilgamesh raised walls larger than any ever before. His skill in bronzeworking created weapons that seemed forged by the gods themselves. The mere force of his presence overawed all before him so that no one saw him but found themselves doing his bidding. He was a hero the likes of which the world had never seen, and people described him as two thirds a god and one third a man.

In his youth, the world called to Gilgamesh and so he went out from his home to seek adventure, but he could find no challenge wherever he roamed. Warriors fell before his sword and philosophers bowed to his wisdom. Any he desired loved him and all he hated ran from him.

So in time he came to the great city of Uruk and by conquest made himself its king. In this he was the fifth to hold kingship since the gods themselves ceased to rule from thrones upon the earth. His father had been the third king, Lugalbanda, who rose from a mere soldier serving in battle, and so the blood of kingship was in his veins but Gilgamesh was king by his own right. No one could challenge the strength of his arms or the genius of his mind. Any person who saw him bowed their heads instinctively before his beauty and his grandeur.

For a time the city prospered under his command. Its population swelled to eighty thousand living within its walls along the banks of the great river Euphrates. Uruk was the largest city in the world and the seven other great cities of Mesopotamia were all forced to recognize its might, while all the villages of the hill-lands and deserts paid tribute.

Gilgamesh built great walls to protect his city, surrounded by a moat redirected from the Euphrates. These walls were the strongest the world would know for a thousand years, but during his reign they were hardly needed. No general could outfox his intellect, no army could stand before the men he trained, and no champion could live after facing the King of Uruk. When his soldiers marched forth, no enemy escaped, and victory was certain against any target guarded by mortal men.

He built beautiful temples and mighty ziggurats, the towering step-pyramids of Sumeria, but the priests inside them were never asked to advise their king as he understood the gods better than them. By his semi-divine nature, Gilgamesh barely needed to rest but when he chose to sleep he dreamed otherworldly dreams. Upon waking he could analyze them and thus learn the future or the events of far off places. There was little that happened in heaven or earth which Gilgamesh could not know.

However, without any force to check him, without anything to challenge him, Gilgamesh began to grow tyrannical. So great was his superiority that to Gilgamesh other humans began to seem less than real. So even as the people of the city prospered under his rule, they languished under his whims and appetites. Any man he saw on the street might be conscripted to serve on his projects or in his army. Any woman he saw in the square was his if he desired, whether they be married or not. The King had forgotten his duties to the people and remembered only their duties to him.

The people of Uruk prayed for the gods to help them, calling up to the heavens. They flocked to the white-walled temple of Anu, standing on top of its ziggurat in the center of the city like a blinding beacon across the plains. The gods heard those prayers and took them to Aruru, the goddess of creation and fertility, the first mother. The gods asked her to create a man equal to Gilgamesh, a man equal in strength and bravery. Then mighty Gilgamesh could be stripped of his arrogance and the people of Uruk saved.

The goddess Aruru smiled and nodded her head without a word. Then she left her children, those new and shining gods. She walked down into the dark and dipped her hands in the water of creation beneath the world. She pinched off a small lump of clay, like a bead in her fingers. Then she held out her hand let that clay fall down to earth in the wilderness. So was the great Enkidu created.


	3. Enkidu Comes to Uruk

Enkidu Comes to Uruk

Out in the wilds beyond the rich farms of civilized land, people survived as nomads herding sheep and hunting wild game, following the green grass and the seasons. In one such village camp, a trapper made his living catching animals in the hills and forests. One day he went up to the hills to check his traps but found his pits filled in and his snares torn up. From then on, no matter what he tried, the animals he hunted continued to slip through his fingers, aided by some unseen force of immense strength. Sometimes in the distance he glimpsed a swift shape sliding through the brush, hidden but always watching.

After several empty hunts with nothing to show for it, the trapper wearily sat down by a watering hole deep in the wilds. Eventually the antelope and other creatures of the hills came back down to drink, almost mocking the trapper in his failure. Then a new creature emerged from the bushes and the trapper was struck with fear and amazement.

The creature was shaped like a man, strong and tall but utterly wild. He was naked; his long unkempt hair waved down his back like rippling grain and his body was covered in matted hair. He moved among the beasts at the watering hole like he was one of them, and they accepted him with no trace of fear. He drank from the pool as they drank and tore wild greens from the banks to eat like a wild creature. As he rooted and foraged, the man rolled aside huge boulders as if they were pebbles and fallen logs as if they were twigs, all without a hint of effort. This was Enkidu when he was first witnessed by human eyes.

The trapper was stunned by this sight but then Enkidu looked across the water to meet his eyes. The trapper was instantly frozen with fear. In those eyes he saw no trace of human experience but they still held a deep calculating intelligence and the promise of power beyond imagining. At once the trapper knew that this was the protector of the beasts. It was he who had filled in the pits and torn out the traps. This living god of the wilds was utterly beyond the trapper's power to stop.

Eventually, Enkidu left the watering hole back into his hills and the trapper fled. For the next two days he slunk back to the pool, hoping that the wild man might move on to new grounds but each day Enkidu appeared and watched the trapper with calculating eyes. The trapper was paralyzed with fear each time and on the third day he fled back to his village, leaving the wilderness behind him.

The trapper returned to his home tired and defeated, without any game to show for his long efforts. As he entered the village, people remarked that his face was changed, as if he had returned from a journey of long years to distant lands, not a single short week up in the hills. The trapper came to his father and with awe in his voice told what he had seen.

After he had explained, he said, "Father, this wild man is like a god walking the earth. His hair is so matted and twisted I thought he had horns like a forest ox. He is the strongest creature in the world, faster than the wind, and he has set himself as the beasts protector. They act like he is one of them and he moves with them always. There is nothing I can do against him. If he continues to make this land his home no hunter will ever return with so much as a rabbit. We will starve. What can we do?"

His father thought and then said, "In the great city of Uruk lives Gilgamesh the King, and no one has ever prevailed against him. They say he is the most powerful warrior in the world and his wisdom is greater than any man who has ever lived. Go to him and tell him of this wild man plaguing our lands. Gilgamesh is the only one who can help us."

So the next day the trapper set out on the long journey down into the land of the two rivers where Uruk lay surrounded by rich soil and endless farmland. Eventually, after weeks of travel, he passed through the great gates of Uruk wherein Gilgamesh ruled.

Now, Gilgamesh was blessed with access to knowledge greater than any mortal man. So that night as the trapper arrived, Gilgamesh awoke from a powerful dream that he knew contained hidden truth. The next day he went to speak to his mother, Ninsun, a woman both beautiful and wise.

"Mother," he said. "I have had a dream. I was full of joy and walked with all my soldiers under the night sky when a meteor fell from the stars and landed nearby. I tried to lift the stone but it was too heavy to even budge. Then all the people of Uruk were suddenly around me as they jostled and pushed to crouch down and kiss the base of this rock. Even then I felt the stone pull at me by invisible force and I could not bring myself to leave it. I still could not lift the stone but with the people's help I tied ropes around it and dragged it to you. When I got to you, you looked down and called the stone my brother. What does this mean?"

Ninsun looked down at her kingly son and said, "The meaning of your dream is that you will soon have a comrade. There will come into your life someone you cannot defeat or overawe and yet will offer you more than all your soldiers and subjects. When you see him you will know true happiness and he will never forsake you."

That very same day the trapper approached the great palace wherein Gilgamesh ruled. When the King heard of why the trapper had come, he was curious about this fearsome man in the hills. It occurred to him that this might be the prophesied companion, someone who could be his equal. So he came out and gave the trapper audience.

Gilgamesh's interest waned when he realized that the fearsome man he had heard of was wild and ignorant, little better than a beast. Gilgamesh was the master of every art and aspect of culture; architect of monumental buildings, designer of breathtaking art, and the creator of wondrous poetry. No beast-man could possibly be his equal. This man from the wilderness was not like a god as the trapper said, but more like a monster. Such a being might find strength in ferality but was not a true warrior. Still, Gilgamesh gave consideration to the trapper's plight.

Gilgamesh thought for bit and then he said, "Your problem is that this wild man is always with the animals and thus always on hand to free them from your traps. Normally wild beasts flee when humans get close. They allow this man near them because they do not know he is a man and he follows them because he does not know he is a man. You must make this creature realize what he is, then the beasts will perceive him as human and will flee from him, leaving you free to hunt them."

"But, great king, how do I do that?"

Gilgamesh said, "Go to the temple of Ishtar, goddess of love and beauty. I will send order that they are to dispatch a holy courtesan of Ishtar to travel with you back to your village. If anything can make a wild creature realize it is a man, a beautiful woman trained in the arts of love should do the trick. That woman should easily convince the wild man of the merits of a civilization that can produce such things as her."

So the trapper left the palace and went to the great temple district of Eanna where the god Ishtar was honored. The temple complex was ancient and effectively gave name to one half of the city, opposite Anu's great temple of blinding white gypsum walls which rose atop a wide ziggurat platform above the roofs of Uruk. In contrast, the blood-red temple of Ishtar was set on the ground, nearer to the humans whose lives she ruled both as the god of love and of war. There, within the wide walled district, the androgynous chief priests oversaw sacred courtesans, both men and women, who traded in the pleasure of their bodies to honor the fertility of the earth and the prosperity of the community by the virtue of beauteous Ishtar. The trapper arrived and met a woman named Shamhat beside the temple garden, surrounded by bright mosaic-covered pillars. At Gilgamesh's word, Shamhat agreed to follow the trapper to his home.

The trapper and Shamhat the courtesan traveled together back to the trapper's village and from there out into the wild hills beyond. They found the watering hole again and there sat down to wait. It took three days but eventually the herds appeared to drink from the pool and with them came powerful Enkidu.

The trapper whispered, "There he is. You must teach him that he is a man, but be careful, he is stronger than the greatest wild bull and more dangerous than any lion."

Shamhat said, "I see him. Underneath his matted hair he is beautiful. And you are not quite right. I do not need to convince him he is a man, though I feel confidant he will realize that soon enough, I only need to convince the beasts that he is not one of them. Beasts think by scent, and since he has never touched another human he only smells of wild things. Once I have held him in my arms he will smell like me and the beasts will run from him."

Standing so near the great Enkidu, trapper was struck with fear once again and fled, but Shamhat stepped forward. She caught Enkidu's eye and he crept slowly towards her, curious of this new wonder in his land. When he drew near, the concubine let her robe drop to the ground and he beheld her full beauty. At once he was ensnared and she welcomed him between her legs. He pressed himself against her as she taught him her art. They lay together on the grass for six days and seven nights and Enkidu forgot all about his home in the hills.

Eventually, after those long days and nights, Enkidu was satisfied and parted from Shamhat, but when he went back to the wild hills he found everything had changed. The beasts that had always welcomed him among them now ran when he approached. When he tried to chase after them he found that even his swiftness had left him. He was still very strong, but he could no longer move with the fleetness of wild creatures. It was as if his body was bound by an invisible cord, hampering him with second thoughts and doubts.

Distraught and with nowhere else to go, Enkidu returned to the watering hole and Shamhat. He collapsed at her feet and looked up with pleading confusion.

Shamhat looked down at Enkidu and knew that the task she had been sent out here for had been accomplished. Enkidu would no longer be able to move among the wild herds as their silent protector. The trappers and hunters would be able to make their livelihood once again. However, she had seen evidence of Enkidu's divine strength for herself and realized that this wild man might be the answer to the prayers of the people of Uruk who languished under Gilgamesh's capricious rule. This was a man who could challenge mighty Gilgamesh.

Shamhat lay her hand against Enkidu's hairy face and gently said, "Now you are more than a beast, for your heart has been awakened to humanity. You are wise, more like a god than the monster you were. Why would a god want to live naked in the hills among wild beasts? Come with me to the city of Uruk, behind whose strong walls Gilgamesh rules as king. He is extraordinarily powerful, like you, but he uses his strength to trample over the happiness of his people like a wild bull. You will love Uruk far more than these hills. There all the people are beautiful and dress in gorgeous robes like every day is a holiday."

Enkidu knew nothing of cities or kings, robes or holidays, but he understood a challenge of strength. His education among the wild beasts had taught him all about two strong males fighting for territory. This woman said Gilgamesh was his equal and was therefore a rival. But additionally, in his heart Enkidu wished for a companion. For as long as he knew he had been the only of his kind so the promise of one like him, one who could understand his heart, drew him at once.

Enkidu looked up and said to Shamhat, "Then take me to this city. I will stand in the center of that territory and call out to Gilgamesh. I will shout, 'I am the strongest here! I have come to change the old order for I am the strongest in the world!'"

Shamhat said, "Be cautious with your bosting. You haven't yet seen Gilgamesh. No matter how strong you are, he is stronger. His perfect body shines like a god's and he never tires. Do not hope to surprise him, for he is blessed by the heavens and sees visions of far off things. I doubt we will have left this wilderness before Gilgamesh knows you are coming towards him."

At this Enkidu stood up and Shamhat took off her own fine clothes, wrapping him in one piece before clothing herself in the other. Then she took his hand and led him down out of the hills to the village of the shepherds. When they approached the shepherds came out of their huts and marveled at Enkidu's strength and stature. They had heard tales of Gilgamesh but here was a man who matched all those stories.

The shepherds laid out as great a feast as they could at Enkidu's feet, full of food and beer. However, Enkidu had only ever eaten wild greens and drank from pools so he did not recognize cooked food or jars of beer. It fell to Shamhat to explain to him, show him how to eat bread and drink from a cup. With her help, Enkidu soon began to enjoy himself, eating until he was full and drinking an astonishing seven full jars of beer. His face began to glow and he became expansive, singing loudly with joy and elation.

Enkidu then washed his shaggy body and rubbed his body with oil so he now looked like a human instead of a beast. He put on clothing and was transformed from a monster into a great warrior. Where once Enkidu was the guardian of the herds in the hills, now he protected the shepherds and their flocks. He took up a weapon and chased away the lions and wolves that hunted this region so that all the herders and their creatures could lie down in peaceful sleep. Powerful Enkidu watched over them and he barely needed to rest.

Eventually, Shamhat convinced Enkidu to continue on to the city of Uruk. They bid goodby to the shepherds and went down from the hills into the rich farmlands. After many days, as the city began to loom on the horizon, they saw a man rushing along the road towards it. As the man drew near them Enkidu grew suspicious.

Enkidu said, "Shamhat, who is that? What is he doing near us? Make him go away."

Shamhat called out, "Young man, where are you running to at such a pace? What's going on?"

The man stopped, out of breath, and said, "I was invited to an important wedding in the city of Uruk, but this morning I heard that King Gilgamesh had locked the people out of the marriage temple and is planning to lie with the bride first before the husband. He claims it is his right as king and as part divine. But now the people have finally risen up against him, unwilling to suffer this treatment any more. The drums roll in the streets and the city groans in protest."

Enkidu heard this and went white in the face with cold anger. He had only recently learned of the attraction between man and woman so this offense was fresh in his imagination. To steal another's mate was something even one raised by beasts could understand.

Enkidu said, "This will not stand. I will go to this place where Gilgamesh is tyrant over these people. I will challenge him from the center of his Uruk and shout that I am the strongest. I will fight him and prove that I am the strongest in the world."

At this he rushed forward and for the first time Shamhat trailed behind him instead of leading. Together they entered through the great gates of Uruk and into the broad streets and wondrous markets. The crowds of the massive city saw Enkidu and marveled at him. They said:

"He looks like Gilgamesh."

"He's shorter."

"No, look at his broad bones. He is far stronger."

"I've heard rumors about him. He was raised by wild beasts."

"Now Gilgamesh has met his match. This is the hero we prayed for. Beautiful like god, an equal even against Gilgamesh."

That evening in a great house of Uruk, the bride stood by her bridal bed waiting for the next dawn and the arrival of her groom. But during the night, Gilgamesh got up and left his palace. As he approached the bride's house through the moonlit night he saw Shamhat standing beside the road. Gilgamesh frowned to see a woman out on the street so late but he then ignored her and thought nothing more of her.

Then, as he approached the gate that led to the bride's house, Enkidu stepped out into the street and barred the way. Gilgamesh glared at this newcomer but moved to push past, confidant that no one could challenge him. Enkidu met him at the gate and stopped him with a single great kick to the chest like a wild ass. Gilgamesh was flung back, sliding across the street through the dust. He looked up from the ground with amazement, but then his astonishment changed to terrible anger. He charged and hit Enkidu with a thud that rocked the city as they grappled.

The two great heroes held each other like bulls locked in combat, neither able to gain the upper hand. Against their great strength, everything they touched crumbled. Doorposts shattered and walls shook as their fight raged across the city. They snorted as they grappled, rolling and punching at each other as buildings and walls broke around them. Then, finally, Gilgamesh bent his knee and planted his foot on the ground, so with an expert turn Enkidu was thrown over his shoulder.

Enkidu landed with a cloud of dust, but the moment Gilgamesh stood above him in victory his anger vanished. For the first time in his life he had met someone who could challenge him and instead of frustration he felt elation. At once he remembered the dream his mother had interpreted, that someone would come to be the companion Gilgamesh had never known. That he would find a brother.

Enkidu looked up from the dirt and grinned as he panted.

"Truely, there is not another like you in the world. The mother who bore you must be as strong as a wild ox. You deserve your kingship for you are certainly the strongest in the world."

Gilgamesh shook his head and said, "They say you came from the wild but I think you fell from the heavens. I won this fight because you are untaught in combat, but with only your natural strength you still held me at bay. I do not think there is another man like you."

Then Gilgamesh held out his hand to Enkidu and helped him stand. They faced each other, embraced, and became friends.

Gilgamesh said, "Come Enkidu, one such as you I will host in my own house. You complimented my mother, now you will meet her."

They went together to the great palace and Gilgamesh presented Enkidu to his mother Ninsun. Ninsun looked down at Enkidu, with his long wild hair and ill-fitting shepard's clothes, and she smiled.

"My son, you have found the meteor that you cannot lift. I see in him the same strength I see in you. Gilgamesh, for too long you have known no equal. You have had no one to share your heart with, and so you have lost your way as king. So I implore you, welcome Enkidu as your friend and companion."

But then she turned and rushed away, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ninsun climbed the many steps of the ziggarat, attop which sat the shrine to the sun god Shamash. There she lifted her voice in prayer as the dawn light rose around her.

"Before Enkidu came, my son had lost his way but now I see kindness and passion in his eyes once again. Please, let Enkidu never leave or betray him. And this is not only for Gilgamesh's sake, Enkidu is just as alone. I see his matted hair and know he has no mother or father to cut it. He was born in the wilderness, no one raised him. He has never known the love of family or companionship and so I pity him. Let me be mother to him, and so he will be brother to Gilgamesh."

But Enkidu had followed Ninsun, curious and ignorant of temples and prayers, and so he heard her plea. At once he sat down and wept, for he had never known a mother's love or the bonds of family. In the instant it was offered he realized what he had been missing. His limbs felt weak and his strength had fled from him.

Now Gilgamesh came and pulled him up, back to his feet. They took each other by the hand and clasped tight.

Enkidu said, "Gilgamesh, you have offered me the companionship of equals which I never hoped for. Honorable Ninsun offers me a mother, which I have never know. For all this I will be your brother and never part from you."

"Enkidu, you were raised in the wild by beasts but here in the great city of Uruk I now see that I have been behaving like a wild beast, governed only by my whims. I welcome you as my brother, as long as you continue to watch me and challenge me if I ever stray again."

They embraced and pledged to each other. From this moment Uruk knew peace from all human threats for two great heroes called it their home.

However, that night, Gilgamesh dreamed of a great mountain, and at its top stood Enlil, lord of the sky and father of the gods. The vision delivered a message and when Gilgamesh awoke he went to Enkidu for help in interpreting it.

Enkidu said, "The father of the gods both praises and cautions you. The gods have set your destiny for kingship and glory beyond any other man, but you are still only a man. You are human, not a god and so eternal life is not your destiny. However, this is not a punishment. Instead of the least god, you are the greatest of all men. You have been given the power for unquestioned supremacy over the people, for victory in any battle over any human foe. You hold in your hand the darkness and the light of mankind. But do not abuse your power. Treat your people well and remember to honor the gods."

Gilgamesh nodded at this wisdom and for a while he was content.


	4. Gilgamesh and Agga of Kish

Gilgamesh and Agga of Kish

In previous centuries the city of Uruk had been vassel to the nearby city of Kish, paying tribute to its king to be spared its wrath. However, as fortunes changed and Uruk rose as Kish fell, Uruk ceased paying this tribute and the kings of Kish did not press the issue. However, the relationship had never officially ended so when Agga, son of En-me-baraga-si, rose to the throne of Kish he declared that Uruk must be reminded of its ancient oaths. To this purpose, he began raising and training an army. The bronze-smiths of Kish hammered into the night, setting the city to glow orange. By their art the soldiers of Kish were equipped with the sharpest blades and and deadliest arrows ever yet assembled by mankind.

Agga's envoys arrived in Uruk and presented their demands before the throne of Gilgamesh, Lord of the Kulaba plain, as Enkidu sat on a couch at his left hand. Agga's message was presumptuous and insulting, but Gilgamesh restrained his anger and dismissed the envoys. He then took the matter to the elders of Uruk, choosing his words carefully as he presented the situation.

"Agga of Kish sends men demanding we give him tribute and acknowledge him as master of this city. The message is insulting, yet I believe it is deliberately so. Agga knows that Uruk's greatest strength lies in its strong walls. He hopes to pull our men outside the city, meet his army on the plain where he has the greatest chance of success. I say, why should we go to war simply because this foreign man wishes that we do? In our land there are still many wells left to dig, many irrigation canals to extend. Our city is currently full of hoisting gear for new construction. Our men's effort is best spent there. We should not submit to Kish, but we need not rush to smite them down with our weapons."

However, the elders of Uruk had heard of Agga's new army and were fearful. They said, "Yes, there are wells to deepen and canals to extend. That is why we must submit to Kish. Our people cannot work with the threat of war hanging over their head. Tribute and bowing is a small price to pay for peace. Do not raise weapons against Agga."

However, Gilgamesh did not like this answer and so took the question to a new audience. He convened a meeting of all the able-bodied men of Uruk, all those of fighting age, and presented the same case to them.

The men of Uruk roared out. "We do not consent to be servants of this foreign king! 'Standing duty, bowing down, escorting princes, holding the donkeys' reins: who has that much breath?' So the saying goes and so say we now. Do not let those old men pull us down. We, the young of Uruk, will take up our weapons and smite down anyone who tries to march against out city. Our ziggurat was raised by the greatest gods, gods dwell in the temples of Eanna, our walls are laid on a foundation set out Anu the Creator himself. Gilgamesh, you are our king and our protector. When Agga approaches he will see you standing against him and then he will cower in terror! This army he brags of may hold bright bronze spears, but his forces are small and disorganized. When Agga marches at the front it makes a fearsome image but the back ranks scatter into confusion."

Gilgamesh was heartened by their response and his spirit was emboldened. He said to Enkidu, "My men want battle. On their account, let the weapons and armor be made ready. Enkidu, fetch your great war-mace. When Agga comes you will stand beside me on the walls of Uruk and that man shall know true fear. The mere sight of us will overwhelm his men and throw them into disarray. Then we will fall among them like a bull that tramples new grown grass."

In five days Agga declared war against Uruk, and in ten days his army arrived to lay siege around the city. They came down the Euphrates river in great barges and unloaded before the moat that surrounded the city. When those forces had been far away the men of Uruk had laughed about fighting them, but now that the sun shone down and they saw the gleaming bronze of thousands of spears those same men began to grow fearful. Disorder and confusion began to spread through the forces of Uruk, though they were still safe behind strong walls. Gilgamesh saw this and so went to the market square to address his forces.

He called out loud and bravely, joking to lift their spirits. "Men of Uruk, Agga waits outside my walls, begging audience with me. However, at the moment I am too busy to see him. I am sorry to put this lowly task to you, but could one of you go out there and send him away? The rest of us have far more important things to do."

The men of Uruk laughed and their bravery returned. A man named Birhur-tura, one of Gilgamesh's own royal guard stepped forth, his face shining with admiration for his king. "My king, I will go. Evidently Agga has not heard the true stories about you, so I will enlighten him. However, it is not my fault then if he flees before you get the chance to fight him."

The people of Uruk laughed once again and Birhur-tura walked towards the main gate. Outside, beyond the moat that surrounded the city, the forces of Kish saw the gates of Uruk crack open and readied their weapons to face the full might of Gilgamesh's army. However, when they saw only a single man walking out through the dust of the causeway they were confused. Soldiers charged forward and captured Birhur-tura just outside the city gate. They threw him to the ground and beat him terribly before at length they brought him before Agga, standing in his four wheeled chariot drawn by strong beasts, hybrids of donkeys and wild asses.

Despite his bruises, Birhur-tura began to speak to Agga as if nothing had happened, telling him that the great King Gilgamesh demanded that he go away. However, before Birhur-tura finished speaking, a minor officer of Uruk stepped up onto the city wall and leaned against its parapets to watch how Birhur-tura was doing. At once Agga grabbed Birhur-tura by the collar and dragged him to face the wall.

Agga said, "Slave, is that your king?"

Birhur-tura laughed. "That man is not my king. If he were my king, where are his brows like thunderbolts? Where are his bison eyes, where is his beard like precious lapis lazuli carved by the gods? If that were my king your forces would fall down into the dust, the prows of your barges would be shattered, and he would take you captive in the middle of your entire army.

Agga's soldiers seized Birhur-tura and beat him once again, laying terrible blows across his entire body. Then Gilgamesh himself climbed up to look over the wall of Uruk. Behind him came all the armed men of Uruk, arrayed above the gate. From the great gate itself, once again only a single man stepped forth. Enkidu walked out alone on to the causeway, holding his massive battle-mace loosely in one hand. Above him, Gilgamesh put one foot up on the edge of parapet, standing like a shining god in the sun.

The army of Kish stepped back in fear. In the center of them, Agga beheld Gilgamesh and grabbed Birhur-tura once again. "Slave, is that your king?"

Through the blood in his mouth, Birhur-tura smiled and said, "That man is indeed my king."

Enkidu raised his mace and charged while behind him Gilgamesh dropped down from the top of the wall. Such a fall would have shattered the legs of a normal man but Gilgamesh landed and raced into the fray. Mighty Enkidu smashed into the army of Kish like a rampaging bull breaking the stalks of dry reeds, and Gilgamesh followed into his wake. It was as Birhur-tura had said, the legions of Kish were cast down into the dust, the barges were shattered, and the canal mouths were choked with the fallen dead. Gilgamesh captured Agga, King of Kish, in the middle of his own army.

Witnessing the might of these two heroes, Agga fell down to his knees. Gilgamesh drew near to him and Agga prepared for death. But Gilgamesh did not slay him, instead he lifted him up and welcomed him. "Agga my watchman, Agga my lieutenant, Agga my governor, Agga my general. You give me breath, you give me life, you welcome the fugitive into your embrace, and provide the fleeing bird with grain."

Reversing the rituals of vassalage, Gilgamesh now welcomed the city of Kish as the servant as Uruk. Accepting defeat and grateful for his life, Agga gave over his armor and his weapons as tribute, and Gilgamesh accepted them. Then he set Agga free to return to Kish, now his subject.

From that day every person in Mesopotamia praised Gilgamesh as the greatest warrior and the greatest king, one radiant beyond any other mortal.


	5. The Quest to the Forest

The Quest to the Forest

Years passed and Gilgamesh and Enkidu dwelled together in Uruk. The city knew peace and prosperity, but in time Enkidu began to grow restless. Before he had roamed across all the wild lands of the world, so now even glorious Uruk and all the territory around it seemed small and confining. He had no patience for the subtle arts of kingship that Gilgamesh concerned himself with and instead yearned for adventure.

One day, as Enkidu lounged beside the throne where Gilgamesh sat, Enkidu sighed bitterly and Gilgamesh met his eye. Gilgamesh said:

"My friend, what's wrong? Why do you sigh like that?"

Enkidu said, "I'm worn down by idleness. My arms feel weak and this groan is stuck in my throat. Surely there's something more we could be doing?"

Gilgamesh took this to heart and over the days began to turn thoughts to this question. He too was beginning to feel the oppression that came from a lack of challenges. However, he also had another preoccupation. The declaration from Enlil that despite Gilgamesh's divine essence he was not destined for eternal life weighed heavily on his mind. He began to envision a time when he was dead and gone from this world and he shivered at the thought.

So Gilgamesh said to Enkidu, "Despite all my accomplishments I have not yet established my name in history, stamped in bricks for all eternity. To do that we must do more than excel, we must do something no man has ever done before. We must seek out the greatest challenge in the world and face it. You know, I have heard tales from the Land of the Living Cedars, far to the north and west. Deep in its wilds there stands a lone mountain on whose flanks grow massive cedar trees, the greatest in the world. On that mountain lives a terrible monster, a giant named Humbaba. That is how we can establish our immortality in history. We will journey to that great forest, destroy this evil, harvest the perfect cedar wood, and raise a monument to the gods where no man has ever gone before."

However, Enkidu was not as excited as Gilgamesh had expected. Enkidu said, "It's true, when I still roamed with the wild beasts I once discovered this forest. It is nearly endless, ten thousand leagues in each direction. The giant Humbaba lives within it, but he was appointed by Enlil, god of the sky and wind, as its guardian. Humbaba is shielded by seven magical auras, deadly to all flesh but his own. When he roars it is like a hurricane, his breath is burning fire, and any who even come near his jaws fall dead. If single creature moves in the forest, Humbaba instantly hears it, no matter where he is. It's suicide for any man to enter that land for the magic will paralyze them with fear where they stand. The giant is more than a geat warrior, he is a battering ram against all before him. Gilgamesh, the watchman of the forest never sleeps."

Gilgamesh replied, "Yes, it is dangerous, but don't you see? That is why we must do it. The way to heaven is shut. Only the gods live forever with Shamash the glorious sun, as humans our days are numbered and all we create is but wind. For us, fame is the only path to eternity. With that as the prize, how can you be afraid? If you are, then even though I am your king I'll be the first into that forest and you can shout encouragements from behind. This way, even if I fall I will leave behind my name forever. People will say that Gilgamesh fell in combat with the ferocious Humbaba, who none before had courage to face. Long after I am gone they will tell my story, and they will remember."

Enkidu was still apprehensive but he said, "If you really insist on going to the Land of the Living Cedars, we should pray first to the god Shamash. I hear that land belongs to him and if we are to face Humbaba we will need every advantage we can get."

Now, the Land of the Living Cedars, whose mountains were called Lebanon, was well known to the people of Mesopotamia. The best quality wood came from the trees which grew there, and that was a very valuable commodity in the long-since cleared farmlands around the great cities of the southern pain. Though the land between the two rivers was very rich in soil for farming it was entirely empty of stone or wood for building and so depended on uncertain networks of trade from other lands. In fact, so valued was this Lebanese cedar wood that in the past cities had raised whole armies just to march up the rivers and harvest timber from those distant lands. However, no one had ever cut down a tree in the forest of Humbaba.

So the next day Gilgamesh took two young goats, one pure white and one all brown, and carried them up onto the top of the great ziggurat of Uruk in the presence of the sun. There he sacrificed them with his silver scepter and raised his voice to Shamash.

"Shamash, the radiant sun, let my voice be heard. I am about to embark on a journey so I beseech you for your protection, let the omens be good."

As the sun shone on him, Gilgamesh felt the touch of the god. Glorious Shamash answered, "Gilgamesh, you are strong, but why do you seek that far off country?"

Gilgamesh said, "Here in the city people die without hope. I have gone outside the wall seen where the bodies float down the river to oblivion, and I know that will be my fate one day too. I know that even the greatest hero can not reach to heaven, and that no king can encompass the entire earth no matter his skill. That is why I must go to the Land of the Living Cedars, because fame is the only escape from death."

Now tears began to run down his face as frustration and anxiety battled within him. "They say that my quest against Humbaba is impossible. I realize that this journey may prove to be suicide, that I may only hasten the death I fear. But if all things come from the gods, then why have you filled me with this desire if it is futile? Why have you cursed me with this restlessness and dread? If you have set me on this task then please, have mercy and give me your aid."

Shamash heard his prayer and accepted the sacrifice of his tears. So he appointed protectors to Gilgamesh and they were the great winds of the world; the frozen north wind, the eastern whirlwind, the southern storm, and the scorching western gust. These great forces were the chill of deadly fear, the lightning strike, the torrential flood, and the blazing fire; and now they were sworn to ride forth to Gilgamesh's aid.

Prayer complete, Gilgamesh returned and said to Enkidu, "Come my friend, in preparation for our journey we will go to the armory. There the craftsmen will forge us great weapons at my instruction, fit for heroes seeking eternal glory."

The designs and plans Gilgamesh laid forth were of a magnitude never seen before. The palace craftsmen gathered together and confirmed how to create the treasures their king had commanded. The axes, the spears, the knives, and the armor; each piece was of a weight of bronze that a normal man could barely lift it. For Gilgamesh was forged the legendary ax "Might of Heroes", and a powerful bow of made from the wood of the land of Anshan in Elam, north of the Persian Gulf. His breastplate was named "The Voice of Heroes", and though it was a massive slab of gleaming bronze he wore it like a light woven shirt. When Enkidu stood beside him, together they bore arms and armor that constituted the metal to outfit thirty men but they lifted them as easily as their own skin.

As the armor was being forged, Gilgamesh went out to the great market before the people of Uruk and said, "Listen, men of Uruk, and know that in pursuit of glory I am preparing to set out on a great journey. There I will face what I have never known, and walk a road I have never traveled. So I ask you to give me your blessings, and if any among you feel this same yearning for great deeds then march with me into the eternity of legend! I will climb that mountain, and strike down the monster in his forest, he whom even rumor of his name fills the world. I will cut down his cedars, take my spoils, and leave behind a name more enduring than stone!"

Many men in the market raised their fists as they cheered and pledged to follow their king to glory. However, as Enkidu watched his friend exulting in the admiration of the city he felt a pit of dread in his stomach. He went alone to gather the Lords of Uruk and speak to them.

Enkidu faced all the elder lords and said, "The men of Uruk have been swayed by Gilgamesh's speech, and now would all charge down to the underworld if he commanded it. I made my best arguments but my friend did not accept my fears. However, you elders of the city are still his counselors so he may listen to you. Please, say to him that he must not go to the Cedar Forest. I have touched the faintest breath of the power that shields its Guardian and I feel in my heart that any man who steps against him will die."

The noble counselors of Uruk nodded and went out to the great market where they stood before their king. They said, "Gilgamesh, you are powerful and wise but you are still young. The passions in your heart have carried you off and you do not realize what you are saying. You speak cheerfully of risking death but think of the people who depend on you; think of the mother who bore you! The giant Humbaba is a foe beyond even you, for he was appointed by the great god Enlil to guard that forest against all humans. Why do you seek your own destruction?"

When he heard this, Gilgamesh looked at Enkidu and laughed. "My friend, listen to them. I have told you, men without our strength cannot truly understand us. They are ruled by fear; fear that we will never need."

Then he turned back to the nobles. "My lords, I hear your council, but my life is my own. The giant Humbaba may be beyond my own capability, but mighty Enkidu will be at my side and he is just as strong as me. Together, no force on earth can stand against us."

The Lords of Uruk said to Gilgamesh, "Our king, if you must go then please do not trust only in your great strength. Keep a sharp eye and make sure every strike hits its mark. In this fight there is no room for error, since for the first time in your life you will be fighting someone far stronger than yourself. To aid you we have consulted the omens. They say, 'The one who goes ahead saves the comrade' 'The one who knows the route protects his friend'. We know you seek supreme glory, Gilgamesh, but even so let Enkidu walk in front of you. He knows the road to the Cedar Forest and how to traverse over lands where there are no roads or bridges. He has seen fighting, experienced battle not just against other civilized men weilding bronze but against beasts and monsters, so we can trust him to watch over you as your comrade and your friend."

Then the elder lords turned to Enkidu, "Our assembly entrusts the King's safety to your hands, Enkidu. Please, you must return with him at his side and so give him back to us."

Then the lords offered prayers to Shamash in Gilgamesh's name, asking that his sight be keen, his path unbarred, the mountains gentle, and the nights full of peace. They also gave prayer to the past king Lugalbanda, that he might from the underworld offer Gilgamesh some of his bravery and wisdom. Through all this they asked that their king might find victory over the great giant, though in their hearts they were fearful.

Through all these prayers and praises, Enkidu was comforted and began to dismiss his earlier misgivings about this journey. After all, the memory of Humbaba's forest was from the time before he came to live in Uruk. Enkidu was even stronger now, and far more skilled in battle. Surely there was nothing in the world that could stand up to both him and Gilgamesh. Humbaba was not a god, but a creature with a body and blood, no matter how powerful. That meant he could be killed.

Gilgamesh said to Enkidu, "These worried old men have a lot to say, but they did mention my mother and thus hit on some sense. We will of course visit Ninsun in the palace Egalmah before we leave. She is a wise and powerful woman, and will have knowledge to counsel us with before the long journey. Come with me, we'll go now."

They took each other by the hand and so walked to the Great Palace and Ninsun, the honorable Queen-Mother. There Gilgamesh approached and said to Ninsun:

"Mother, will you listen to me? I am preparing to embark on a long journey, all the way to the land of Humbaba. I must travel an unknown road and fight a strange battle. So I ask you, as I travel to the cedar forest and face that monster, please pray to the sun god each day until I return. The giant Humbaba is a foreign power within the Land of the Living Cedars that Shamash holds as sacred, so the sun god might wish to give me some advantage. It's in his own interest after all, as I will build him a great temple with the bones of Humbaba's forest."

Ninsun laughed at Gilgamesh's wry smile and agreed, but as she turned away her face grew dark and fearful. Still she prepared to do as her son had asked.

In her chambers, Ninsun put on a beautiful dress to stand before the god of the sun. Around her neck she hung jewelry of gold and precious stones, and on her head she placed a crown. Her embroidered skirts swept the ground as walked up the many steps to the shrine of the sun on top of the great ziggurat. From there, overlooking all of Uruk, she burned incense and as the smoke rose she lifted her arms to the sun.

"O Shamash, why have you cursed my son with this restless heart? Was it your doing, that draws him toward that distant land and that terrible battle? Why? Has he not done enough? Has he not praised you? Has he not already earned the honor he seeks?"

Then she smoothed away the anger that had crept onto her face. However in its place was left something even colder and sharper. Ninsun said, "But if this is your will, then do not forget him. Watch over my son, keep him from harm, and when the day is done give that task to the night watchman."

She addressed the great god of the sun, one far more powerful than her, but though she pled there was in her voice the quiet fury of a mother who would do anything to protect her child. Then she extinguished the incense and turned away from the shrine.

Back in the palace, Ninsun called Enkidu before her. "Mighty Enkidu, you are not the child of my body, but I receive you as my son all the same. Like the foundlings brought to the temple, you are my child before the eyes of every man and god. So I ask you, please, protect your brother. Serve Gilgamesh as a younger brother serves the elder, as the orphan serves the temple and the priestess who rears him."

Ninsun reached out and placed a pendant around Enkidu's neck, embodying her pledge to him as adoptive mother. She said, "I entrust my son to you, bring him back to me safely."

Enkidu knelt before Ninsun and gave his promise.

The palace artisans now brought the completed weapons to Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Both men picked up their mighty spears, their blades in gold scabbards, along with bows and quivers. Gilgamesh took the great ax, and slung the quiver around his shoulder, along with the bow of Anshan wood. He buckled the knife to his belt beside the ax "Might of Heroes" and so they were armed.


	6. The Lair of Humbaba

The two men set out from Uruk with Enkidu leading the way. Fifty men of Uruk traveled with them, strong soldiers all, yet beside the two heroes they huffed and puffed as they strove to keep up. The party traveled on foot and yet made incredible time. By the time they stopped to eat, the fields of Uruk had long since been left behind. By the time night fell they were in a distant territory. Each night Gilgamesh and Enkidu dug a pit facing west towards the setting sun, holy Shamash, and from it refilled their waterskins and sought his favor. So they traveled for a full month, until at last they reached the forested mountains of Lebanon.

They were now drawing near to the forest of Humbaba so when night fell Gilgamesh and Enkidu climbed up a nearby mountain to make offerings to the gods. Gilgamesh tossed flour to the wind as an offering and prayed for a divine dream. While he did this, Enkidu erected a tent for them. A sudden gust of wind blew by and tore down the tent but Enkidu repaired it and made it ready. Then Gilgamesh entered and sat with his head on his knees as sleep washed over him. Enkidu stayed awake to keep watch.

Deep in the night, Gilgamesh suddenly awoke and called out to Enkidu in distress. "What is it? Did you call my name? Did you shake me awake? If not, why am I so distressed, why is my heart beating so fast? Did a god pass by, shaking the earth and weakening all mortal flesh?"

Enkidu grabbed his friend's shoulders to steady him and reassure him, but Gilgamesh was still pale and shaking as he recovered from the power of whatever he had seen. He said, "My friend, I have had a dream. I was in combat with a wild bull and I was losing, choked and blinded by dust. But as I fell, someone gave me a waterskin and revived me, restoring my strength and allowing me to see clearly. Let us go down from the mountain and speak in safety."

As they descended, Enkidu considered the dream. Once they arrived at the foot of the mountain and the main camp he turned to Gilgamesh and said, "My friend, this is a good omen. The bull must be Humbaba, and the one who gave you strength and sight was the sun god Shamash. I believe it means Shamash smiles on us, and will aid us when we need him most."

In the morning they broke camp and continued their journey. That night they once again climbed a mountain, made their offering, and Gilgamesh sat down to dream. Again the wind came to upset the tent but Enkidu used his great strength to set it right and weigh down the stakes with heavy rocks. In the middle of the night Gilgamesh awoke once more, startled and shaken by the touch of the divine dream.

"Enkidu, in my dream we stood at the bottom of a deep mountain gorge that dwarfed us to the size of insects. Then the ground shook and the walls of the canyon came tumbling down. The rocks battered me and the ground beneath my feet threw me. Then came a great blinding light that lifted me up and set me on my feet, leaving me to stand upon a flat plain that was the crumbled remains of the great mountain. Come, let us descend from these heights and discuss this further away from the gods in their heavens."

Back at their primary camp, Enkidu helped interpret. "This dream is even better. The great mountain that pummeled you is the giant Humbaba. Just as the mountain crumbled so will he. With the aid of Shamash, we will kill our foe and throw his body out upon the ground."

The next day they marched again. By now Enkidu said they were drawing very near to the great forest. All around them the landscape grew more wild, the trees larger, and the mountains steeper. When they made camp on this final night, Gilgamesh sought a mountaintop one last time, made his sacrifices, and tried to sleep. This was the highest peak yet and the winds here roared and twisted. Enkidu fought with them as he erected their tent but once again he was successful and battened down the shelter. He stayed awake and kept careful watch as his friend slept and the cold wind battered at their tent.

At midnight Gilgamesh awoke, calling Enkidu's name. "Enkidu! My friend! I have had another dream, but more than any other it fills my heart with fear. Already the details are fading from my mind but I remember clearly the dread. In my dream the heavens and the earth roared together, and the sun went black in the sky. Lighting flashed out again and again from roiling clouds as fire consumed the earth, while the unending storm rained down death. Then, all at once it was over, light returned and I stood there still. But all about me was a plain of ash, empty and grey."

For a long time Enkidu was silent as he thought on what Gilgamesh had told him. Gilgamesh asked for his help interpreting the dream, but for once his friend refused him. He merely said that he needed to sleep to prepare for the battle tomorrow.

The next morning the heroes broke camp and marched forth until they came to the Gates of the Forest, the boundary of Humbaba's domain. Before them, massive cedar trees rose up like the pillars of a great palace, stretching out beyond sight. Underneath them the forest was dark and quiet. The two heros regarded this ancient cathedral in silent wonder, but the fifty men of Uruk trembled with fear and would go no further. They fell back and let Gilgamesh and Enkidu advance alone.

But when they reached the very edge of the forest, Enkidu suddenly stopped. "Gilgamesh, we must turn back."

"What? How can you say that now, after we have come all this way? We have crossed mountains together."

"In your dreams you saw the defeat of Humbaba, but in the end of the chaos and strife you were not joining me victory and celebration. You stood alone in a plain of ash. I was no longer by your side. I fear that omen may mean either you or I will die in this upcoming battle, so please, I beg of you to turn back."

"My friend, you are letting your fear taint your reason. Come, let the love of battle fill you once again. Let your voice roar out like a kettledrum! We are the two greatest warriors who have ever lived and we have Shamash on our side. No monster can stand against us."

"Gilgamesh, you aren't afraid because you don't know what we face. You've only heard stories, however I have felt Humbaba's power myself. Yes, I'm afraid. Humbaba's teeth are like dragon's fangs, he walks like a stalking lion, and when he charges he can smash through the forest like a raging flood. As I circled this land in my wanderings long ago I could look out and see vast clearings on the mountain side where every tree had been felled in the same direction, at the same instant as if with the force of a single look. I could see the black plume of smoke rising from his cook fires near the peak. We are strong, but Humbaba is beyond strength. He is more than a monster, he is a god in flesh. If you wish, you may go on into this forest, but I will not. I will return to Uruk and tell your mother of your bravery and your daring until she cheers in praise. But then I will have to tell her of your death until she weeps."

Gilgamesh clasped Enkidu by his shoulders and spoke to him. "No. Do not talk like that. My body is not yet burnt, my funeral shroud not yet woven. My house has not yet been given to fire and the boat of the dead is not ready to carry my soul. Now is not my time to die. Enkidu, I need you. This is a battle in the wild, so I need your wild strength and cunning. We will stand together today, side by side, and enter this forest where no men have gone before. One day, yes, our souls will sink into the west. All living creatures face that oblivion. But not yet. For now we must forget death and think only of life. If you let fear turn you away now, you will never be at peace no matter how long you live. Please, my friend, take my hand. I need your help."

This speech set a fire in Enkidu's heart and after a moment he nodded. Together they set their armor right and hefted their weapons, staring deep into the ancient forest. Then, as was the plan, Enkidu entered first to find the path to that sacred mountain while Gilgamesh followed close behind.

As they entered under the trees it seemed a great gust of wind passed over them, setting all the branches rustling. However, as Gilgamesh held up his hand he noticed not a breath of air had stirred. Then, from deep within the forest came a rumbling sound that seemed to build and grow around them. The ground trembled and the tree trunks creaked as a voice formed from the wooden cacophony.

"**Who dares to enter my forest?**"

At once silence descended like a sudden deafness and Enkidu stumbled against the spell that assailed him. His limbs trembled with weakness and his sight grew dim as a wave of exhaustion washed over his body. Yet he managed to resist and fought through the magic, staying on his feet. Then he looked back and saw Gilgamesh sprawled against the ground, lying in dreamless sleep with his weapons and armor scattered around him.

Enkidu ran to his side and shook him. "Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, Lord of the plain of Kullab, get up! The sun has not departed. Shamash still sits in the sky and has not quenched his bright head in the bosom of his mother Ningal. Rise, how long will you lie here asleep? If you don't rise Humbaba will come and kill us here as easily as squashing bugs. Don't let your mother be forced into mourning in the city square. Wake up, my brother, awake!"

Gilgamesh heard these words and roused himself from the enchanted sleep. He took Enkidu's hand and stood back up. He put back on his armor and picked back up his weapons and set out once more, striking into the heart of the forest, led by Enkidu.

Once they got deeper into the forest, they found the going easy. They did not hear Humbaba's voice again. The shade was pleasant and cool, while all around them wafted the fragrance of cedar. The plants were rich green and plentiful, and the sound of insects filled the air. Here and there the heroes caught sight of a flash of color as a bird winged between the trees, and up in the highest branches small shadows moved, tracing the paths of climbing monkeys.

Their destination was the tall mountain rising out of the center of the forest, a wonderful peak fit to be the dwelling place of deathless gods or the very throne of Ishtar, goddess of beauty. And indeed it was, for that mountaintop held the ancient halls of the Anunnaki, the children of the god Anu, those eldest gods who were now departed from this world. However, soon the great trees closed overhead like a roof and the mountain vanished from sight.

At length Enkidu held up his hand to signal halt. "Hold. We must wait for time to pass and the sun to shift so that I can know if we're still going in the right direction. In this deep forest we're walking blind."

Gilgamesh said, "There is no need to wait. Look, we trod on a well worn path that goes on towards where we last saw the mountain. Surely this is one of Humbaba's own trails that leads straight to his lair."

"Humbaba is master of this forest. What need does he have of trails? To him the densest brambles would be like soft spring grass. The deepest ravine would be crossed in a step. No, I don't trust these paths. Let us go slower and make our own trail."

Gilgamesh saw the wisdom in what Enkidu said so they left the clear and easy path and struck out into the wild forest. They moved more slowly now but soon they reached the edge of a wall of matted thorn bushes, jagged like living knives. Enkidu, skilled in woodcraft, traced a route through the thinnest part and Gilgamesh followed behind.

Enkidu said, "See, if we had followed the path we would have been led directly into the densest part of that thicket. It would have taken us a full day to carve through the brambles and all the while Humbaba would be marshaling his power."

"You are right, my friend, lead on."

They traveled for a little while longer and soon they came to the edge of a cliff. Here two deep ravines met, forming a moat around the cedar mountain. However, right here where they intersected, jumbled rock filled the pit and so the heroes could pick their way across.

Enkidu said, "See, if we had followed the path through the thorns we would have then met this ravine at its deepest point. It would have taken us two days to go around it or climb down and out. Humbaba can sense us in his forest and every hour we waste he is gathering his power."

"You are right my friend, lead on."

By Enkidu's skill they made their way through the forest and soon the land began to slope upwards at the foot of the great mountain. Here the cedar trees were taller than palaces and thicker than the walls of Uruk. Massive things they were, as if they had been growing since the dawn of the very first day. Then Gilgamesh and Enkidu entered a clearing and saw a circular stand of seven huge cedars, living trees grown and interwoven together so they formed a colossal house with a single dark gate. This was the palace of Humbaba.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu hid at the edge of the clearing and readied their weapons, preparing to strike as soon as the giant advanced from his house. But soon an hour had passed and still the clearing was empty.

Enkidu whispered to Gilgamesh, "I do not like this. To enter the giant's own house is surely suicide, but with each passing hour he gathers more power."

Gilgamesh gave thought to this and said, "Humbaba calls himself guardian of this forest. Let us put that name to the test."

With that, Gilgamesh stepped into the clearing, into the light of the sun, and slipped his ax loose from his belt. Then he turned and swung it, biting deep into the trunk of one of the cedars. He pulled the blade free and it was smeared with the sharp smelling sap. At once all the trees of the mountain rustled as if blown by a great wind. The voice of Humbaba once more boomed out, but this time it came not just from the creaking of trees and the roaring of wind. It came from the cedar house beside them.

"Who dares defile my forest? I have been set here to guard the mountain by Enlil himself, lord of the sky. This land is not for man to own. How did you get past my wardings so quickly?"

Enkidu walked up beside Gilgamesh and called out, "Humbaba, you wield the magic of the wilderness and terror, but I was born in the wilds and Gilgamesh bears a heart without fear. One hero alone would have been confounded by your tricks, but both of us together can overcome any challenge. A single strand may break but a twined rope is strong. Two young lions allied together may challenge the pride's king!"

Then the earth trembled as Humbaba stepped forth from the house and the men beheld his true form. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were towers among mankind and yet only reached up to the hip of the giant Humbaba. His body was naked and unclothed, but his wrinkled skin was thick and folded in great sheets like the armor of a rinorcorous. That ancient hide hung loose about him but underneath were mighty muscles rippling with power. His shaggy head was oversized yet held up proudly and trailed a long mane of hair down his chest and back. More hair grew from beside his nose and hung down each side like great mustaches or the beards of goats, past a mouth full of long gleaming fangs. If the cedars here were ancient then he was beyond age, for the weight of endless time hung heavily on him. Most fearsome of all, around his monstrous form gleamed an aura like rippling fire.

Humbaba spoke, deep and rumbling, "I know you, Gilgamesh. I know you are a fool. You and your idiot friend should ask each other, 'In what fit of madness did I place myself before Humbaba?' Pitiful Enkidu, child of no one, advise him of his folly. Serve him like the fatherless bastard you are, and explain fully the doom before him. All those years ago, when you were young and looking at my forest, I saw you. I could have crushed you then, like a baby turtle who never sucks a mother's milk. I could have swallowed you whole and smothered you in my belly but I did not, because I foresaw this day. I knew you would bring me a greater delicacy."

Humbaba grinned and black fog boiled out from between his teeth. "Gilgamesh, child of the divine, you wear a breastplate of bronze but your throat and neck are still so deliciously bare. No, such a pitiful thing as you is not even worth eating. I will feed your body to the screeching vulture, the eagle, and the crow, for they are my subjects and I am a kind and generous master."

Gilgamesh beheld the burning power pulsing out from the giant, and the king of Uruk finally stepped back in fear. He said to Enkidu, "Humbaba is greater than I dared imagine. That fire blazes on his body yet he does not burn. I can feel his power and it is growing by the minute. We must run! If he charges now we will die in an instant!"

He stumbled backwards and fell to one knee, tripping over a root as Humbaba slowly advanced. The giant loomed above him and bared his fangs as he prepared to strike down at the helpless king. Gilgamesh looked up in horror, but at the last moment Enkidu tackled him, pushing him away from Humbaba's smashing blow. They rolled through the dirt together as Humbaba slowly turned.

Enkidu raised up his dusty face at Humbaba's terrible visage but instead of trembling he threw his head back and laughed, loud and sharp. He said to Gilgamesh, "My friend, now you are the one who talks like a coward. He is drawing you out like the coppersmith uses the blowpipe, shaping you to his intent. Do not listen to Humbaba's bragging words, but instead watch his body. The stories say he has sevenfold terrible auras at his command and yet I only see one. All the traps he set in his forest were not meant to kill, only delay; that means he has not had time to prepare his full power. If he was as fearsome as he claims, he would kill us without a word, not give this speech and try to make us flee. Now is not the time to retreat. Now we must strike with greater fury!"

At this Gilgamesh rose back to his feet, taking his weapon in his hand. He bared his teeth and roared as he charged at Humbaba, surprising the giant with his furocity. They clashed together like wild bulls in terrible battle. Gilgamesh skillfully dodged every blow the giant made but when he swung his mighty ax the blow was turned away by Humbaba's burning aura. Gilgamesh fell back but before Humbaba could recover Enkidu took his place, darting and striking at the giant again and again as the wolf nips at the wild ox. From afar Gilgamesh drew his bow and let loose two arrows, each one aimed directly at Humbaba's eyes. However, though the aim was true and Humbaba's head rocked back, when he straightened up his eyes were still unharmed. The burning aura had shielded them.

Enkidu called out, "Hit him again, we must give him no respite. If the watchman flees into the forest he will vanish. We must not give him time to escape and fully arm his seven splendors."

Gilgamesh and Enkidu joined side by side, hefting their weapons to attack as one, but in that moment a change came over Humbaba. The burning aura that shrouded him pulsed outwards, pushing the heroes back, and when they recovered Humbaba now wore a second aura. Another barrier of a different color now burned outside the first.

Humbaba laughed, "You took too long, pitiful humans. The second fire is lit."

Gilgamesh and Enkidu still fought, switching from axes to their spears to better stay outside the second aura, but Humbaba's power had grown. Where before the ground had trembled under his feet, now it split and cracked. He roared and the mere touch of its sound threw Enkidu back to slide across the ground. Gilgamesh anchored his footing and held firm but still the power buffeted at him. Above the mountain, the white clouds gathered and turned dark. A black mist began to rain down like the shadow of death. Through it all, Humbaba fixed his gleaming eye on Gilgamesh.

As the last shaft of sunlight was consumed by the darkening clouds, Gilgamesh turned his face to the sky. Tears streamed down his face as he said, "Shamash! God of the sun and protector of mankind! Do not forget what you said to me in Uruk. Do not forget my mother's prayers. Now is my moment of greatest need!"

Shamash heard those words and remembered his promise. He unleashed the mighty tempests, violent roaring winds that tore across the sky. From every direction they came: the north, the south, the east, and the west. They were the blizzard and the sandstorm, the searing heat and the biting cold. They were the wind that whistles, the wind the moans, and the wind that thunders across the sea. These forces came down, whipping like vast serpents, and they assailed Humbaba. The giant was strong but could not fight this power; they wrapped around him and battered him from every direction, forward and back. Piece by piece they tore his auras away until at last Humbaba was left bare, standing without radiance. Then, as quickly as they arrived, the raging winds were gone and the air was still.

Humbaba staggered in the clearing, staring at his huge hands in disbelief and terror. Gilgamesh stepped forward as behind him Enkidu rolled to his feet. The giant was still strong of limb and he towered over the heroes, but now he was within reach of their blades. Fear was in his eye and the great age of all his unimaginable years showed clearly on Humbaba's lined face. The giant fell to his knees and raised his hands in supplication to Gilgamesh.

"Please, Gilgamesh, have mercy. You came all this way for the sake of Shamash, I see that now. But now that you are here, think of yourself. If you spare me I will be your servant. Any cedar trees you want, I will tear them down for you. I will carry them to Uruk myself, rich wood enough to build a hundred palaces. Let me go and I will dwell with you, obey your commands, and your land shall grow valuable forests the envy of any kingdom. To spare a captive taken in war is always the course of most honor."

At this Gilgamesh halted. These words appealed to him, and suddenly he saw a vision of him returned to Uruk with Humbaba driven before him. He would be the greatest king who could ever live, before whom even monsters bowed in service.

But then Enkidu stepped forward and said, "My friend, do not listen to Humbaba. He is not like Agga of Kish. He is not even like me as we first met, a man raised and nurtured by the wilderness. Humbaba _is_ the wild. He can not be bent to serve civilization. If you let him go we will never get home. His magic will soon return and he will make the forest roads and mountain paths impassable. Come, raise your ax and do what we came here to do."

Humbaba saw how Enkidu swayed Gilgamesh's thoughts and so the giant turned to him. "Enkidu, all those years ago, when you still ran with the wild beasts, you stepped over the boundary into my forest. You know the edicts by which I govern these lands, you know the purpose the great god Enlil set me to. By crossing the border you put yourself within my power. I could have killed you then and thrown your body to the vultures, but I did not. Speak to Gilgamesh and urge him to spare me as I spared you."

Enkidu did not listen to Humbaba and said to Gilgamesh. "My friend, the guardian of the forest lies before us. Finish him, slay him, grind him up! Do it quickly, before the highest god Enlil hears of our victory. The god of the sky dwells around his temple in the city of Nipur but all gods roam and he could turn his wrath on us at any moment. Kill Humbaba, slay him, grind him up. Erect a great monument to your triumph in Shamash's name as you intended to do and let the world know how Gilgamesh killed the invincible Humbaba."

Humbaba heard this and said to Gilgamesh, "Enkidu thinks only of the moment; of the danger and the triumph. You, Gilgamesh, can imagine greater things. If you kill me, I will be gone and there will never be another. I have no wife. I have no children. I am alone. I am master of this ancient forest and as long as I remain it will never fail, always remaining a sanctum of green and living things. You have already defeated me, you have already earned your glory. You may take your cedar trees and leave me here to tend to their regrowth. If you kill me now, your glory may be a little greater, people may chant your name a little louder, but all that will fade. The magic will fade. Instead of the harvesting scythe, be the shepard. Tend to me and my forest, cultivating both cedar and glory for your sons and their sons to travel here and challenge me, to match your deeds in ages yet to come."

Gilgamesh turned to look at Enkidu and there was doubt in his eyes. "There is something in what he says. Humbaba is unique in the world. If he dies, the glory of light we have seen will die with him. And the stories say that his radiances, his seven magic auras, were something given, presents provided by Enlil. If they could be bestowed is there not a chance we could take them? But if we slay Humbaba now the fire and the splendor might be snuffed out forever."

Enkidu was losing patience. "If that magic does follow him like chicks following a hen, then if they can be grabbed we might grab them after the hen is dead. Hurry and strike, I still fear some change of fortune. One ill-omened dream still hangs over us."

By this Enkidu finally persuaded Gilgamesh. The King of Uruk raised his ax as beside him Enkidu readied his spear. Before them, Humbaba climbed back to his feet, ready to fight to the last with his still mighty strength. However, without his magic auras he could not stand up to both Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh charged and landed the first strike, Enkidu following with the second. Humbaba's blood splashed across their robes and turned the dust to mud under their sandals. Then Gilgamesh struck the third blow and Humbaba the Giant fell.

As the guardian of the forest hit the ground confusion filled the air. For endless miles the cedars shook and the ground trembled. The watchman of the forest was dead and the wilds all wept. Inside Humbaba's house, the seven burning fires were extinguished and though Gilgamesh searched for the power that had shielded Humbaba, it was gone.

Together, Gilgamesh and Enkidu set to harvesting cedar trees. Across the mountain they tore down the greatest trees with the most perfect trunks. As Gilgamesh uprooted the trees with his great strength, Enkidu cleared their roots of dirt and gathered material to bind them together. Then the two heroes dragged the great logs out of the forest, even all the way to the river that feeds into the great Euphrates. They tied the logs into great rafts and sent them off, piloted by the fifty men of Uruk who had traveled to the gates of Humbaba's forest. Of the greatest ceder, Gilgamesh declared that it would be made into a great city gate and gifted to the city of Nippur, which was sacred to the god Enlil. By this way Enlil might hopefully find his rage diminished at the harvesting of the forest and the killing of Humbaba.

Before Gilgamesh departed from this far off land, he first constructed a mighty alter to the gods on the slopes of the cedar mountain, as he had said he would. He dedicated the victory to Shamash and to his own father Lugalbanda, bowing as he presented Humbaba's head as offering. High in the sky, Enlil saw this and seethed with fury but he made no action at that time. Gods are immortal and can afford to be patient.

Then Gilgamesh and Enkidu boarded the last raft and began the journey back to the great walls of Uruk where they would be received as conquering heroes. Enkidu lent his strength to steer the raft while Gilgamesh stood at the front, holding the giant head of Humbaba aloft for all to see. All down the long banks of the Euphrates, men, women, and beasts all stopped to watch in wonder as those two great heroes passed by.


End file.
